The classroom door is just a door, isn’t it?
“The classroom door can be freely opened and closed—what use does that have?”
Ran Feng questioned.
“Feng-ge, why not just try it and find out?”
Qi Ye looked at him brightly, waiting for his next move.
Ran Feng handed over the Key. “Go ahead.”
Qi Ye took it like it was a treasure and ran to the classroom door to try unlocking it.
Zhang San’s lips, originally tightly pressed, softened into a cold, emotionless curve as he glared at Ran Feng.
The Key that should have belonged to him was not given to him; instead, it was casually handed over to that big oaf Qi Ye.
He must be tired of living.
If he kills someone here, the Real World wouldn’t know, right?
Ran Feng simply wanted to give Zhang San a warning, so he guessed it would be best to keep the Key hidden while Zhang San was injured.
Being ranked 250th on the Strange Tales Ranking, he wasn’t some pushover either, and had long sensed Zhang San’s mood but paid no mind.
Zhang San was just a Rookie Player; he was no match for this Veteran Player.
He kept a watchful eye on Zhang San, never fully letting his guard down.
There were seven minutes left until seven o’clock.
Qi Ye closed the door, inserted the Key, and turned it to the right.
“Click.”
The door opened.
“Confirmed. It’s the Key to the classroom door!”
Qi Ye turned around and waved the Key to the other players, his face beaming with a sunny smile.
However, nothing happened. Outside the classroom was still the same Corridor, unchanged.
Qi Ye tried opening and closing the door several more times.
Time ticked away, minute by minute.
Ran Feng kept announcing the time for him.
“Qi Ye, five minutes left.”
“Qi Ye, three minutes left.”
“Qi Ye, just two and a half minutes remaining.”
Cold sweat began to form on his forehead, yet nothing happened.
He frowned. “It seems useless.”
Ran Feng rested his chin on his curved index finger, thinking aloud, “Could it be… the change is outside?”
“How about… we go out and take a look?”
“Qi Ye, you stay here opening and closing the door.”
A question mark appeared slowly above Qi Ye’s head.
He wore an expression like the sky had fallen—why was he being left here???
Everyone else went out, leaving only Qi Ye, Xunian, and Shen Mosi in the classroom.
Under his hopeful gaze, neither Xunian nor Shen Mosi even glanced at him and directly left the classroom.
Qi Ye kept opening and closing the door mindlessly behind their backs.
After a few steps, Xunian and Shen Mosi turned back.
Qi Ye showed no reaction upon seeing them and casually asked, “Did you leave something behind?”
Xunian said to him, “You go. Head straight to the end of the Corridor.”
“Thanks.”
Though Qi Ye didn’t know why Xunian told him to go to the Corridor’s end, he felt relieved and took out the Key, bypassing Xunian and Shen Mosi.
“Wait, leave the Key.”
“Oh, okay.”
Qi Ye handed the Key to Shen Mosi. It was useless anyway; Ran Feng and Zhang San probably wouldn’t blame him.
Key in hand, Shen Mosi passed it to Xunian, who pocketed it.
The clock on the wall ticked down to one minute remaining.
They exchanged a glance; Shen Mosi already understood Xunian’s meaning.
“Run?”
Shen Mosi extended her hand toward Xunian.
The classroom’s not-so-dim light shone on her, but at this moment, she looked exceptionally radiant. Starshine reflected in her eyes, mirrored in Xunian’s.
Xunian, driven by some strange impulse, grasped her hand as if they had held hands countless times before, walking through endless years together—it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
They crossed the seemingly endless Corridor. Ahead, a few people were chatting and laughing, when a gust of wind blew by, and Xunian and Shen Mosi ran past them.
Yuan Shen noticed their fast pace and asked those nearby, “Why are they running?”
Ran Feng glanced down at his watch, then looked up at the two running ahead. His heart sank. “This is bad!”
“Hurry!”
He quickly called out to the others and rushed to catch up.
At the end of the Corridor, a corner appeared suddenly, and a staircase going only upwards appeared there.
Xunian and Shen Mosi were nearly at the corner when suddenly all the lights went out.
Outside, the night was pitch-black and thick; inside the Corridor, the darkness was so complete they couldn’t even see their own hands, evoking an unexplainable fear.
In an instant, everyone became uneasy.
The only thing Xunian could feel was the warmth of the hand tightly gripping hers.
She unconsciously squeezed tighter, as if clutching a life-saving straw.
The owner of the hand sensed her unease. “Xunian?”
She recalled the distance before the lights went out. “We’re less than two meters from the staircase entrance.”
“Alright.”
Holding hands, they explored the darkness together. Xunian pulled out her phone.
A faint light flickered in the dark, barely revealing the steps ahead. They slowly moved forward, feeling along the walls.
The phone’s flashlight was turned to maximum, revealing the size of the stairs ahead.
……
“Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap…”
As if echoing in their ears, the sound of high heels striking the ground seemed to tread on the hearts of the Players, growing louder and louder, coming closer.
The group of Players huddled together, growing increasingly uneasy, whispering among themselves.
“What’s that sound?”
“Who has a flashlight?”
“I do. My phone still has plenty of battery.”
A hand turned on a phone, and with the dim light, the flashlight was activated.
They shone the beam around, but there was nothing on either side, and the footsteps vanished.
“Did you guys hear that sound just now?”
Ran Feng and others questioned the authenticity of the sound.
“Yes.”
“High heels?”
“Yes.”
High heels… Ran Feng recalled the earlier call—
……
“Tap, tap, tap, tap…”
“So noisy.”
Qi Dong muttered impatiently.
Suddenly, an icy hand wrapped around her neck. The flashlight immediately swung backward, revealing a pale face inches away, eyes cold and pale, seeming to pierce right through her.
“Ahhhhhh—————”
With a shrill, piercing scream, several people scattered and fled.
At that moment, upstairs—
Xunian and Shen Mosi stumbled and made their way up, only to see a row of rooms with doors wide open, each marked with a Room Number.
These are… dormitories?
The noise downstairs continued loudly; the high heel footsteps seemed to have terrified everyone below.
Having no time to care, they hurried into one of the rooms and shut the door.
“Click.”
The door closed suddenly.
Xunian’s tense heart eased slightly as she exhaled, but then suddenly she felt a chill on her back, causing her body to shiver involuntarily.
She slowly turned around to look.
Her pupils contracted; her heart leapt as her hand moved to the doorknob.
She looked ready to leave the room at any moment.